Thursday, January 27, 2011

Walk-Over Revisited

I talked about Walk-Over's relaunch back in August, but a new website and a closer look at their newly available "Men's Classics" and S/S 2011 collection warranted a revisit. I'm still trying to get some solid information on Mark McNairy's role in all of this and also figure out who in the USA is making these. For now, enjoy some good looking shoes.

HH Brown is a Berkshire Hathaway company. There are several brands under the umbrella including Walk Over, Chippewa, Justin, Dan Post, etc. They also own a few US factories - one in El Paso and another, Cove, in Martinsburg, PA. Cove produces brands such as Corcoran and licenses Gorilla brand. Perhaps they are producing these shoes?

These Walk-Over shoes are made by one of the most reputable shoes companies in the USA, H.H. Brown Shoe Co. Founded in 1883, H.H. Brown has always made shoes in the US for many top brands all over the world.

McNairy and his "Walk-Over look-alike" collection is totally unrelated to the original saddle and buck maker.

I own a shoe store and for many years sold Walk-Over shoes. I got married in a pair of their black raised welt toe dress slippers (looks like Aldens famous Cordovan-Shell dress slipper) and I still have a pair of their leather sole dress saddle-oxfords. Walk-Over was the best quality/price ration oxford you could find for many years post WWII. They became "King of the Bucks" for good reason, they were made with genuine goodyear welts, very high-quality suede, and attention to detail such as solid brass eyelets. They also had a "nicer" toe shape than their lesser-quality competition (Bass, Eastland, and Dexter). I'm not encouraged by this McNairy guy's input into these shoes, but I am encouraged that these are obviously coming out of one of HH Brown's remaining USA "welted shoe" plants. This should mean great quality, spades more than the current alternative in the Bass brand name. I have never got over Berkshire Hathaway eviscerating then killing Dexter Shoe Company. In his great knowledge this has to be the stupidest blunder his management ever made, but thank goodness all the shoe companies his group bought didn't fail or go to China. He did virtually ruin Carolina Shoe for many years too, but they're holding on and haven't closed their doors yet. What I'm thinking is you better buy you a pair of American-Made Walk-Over bucks immediately because with Berkshire at the helm how knows how long this will last.

I owned a pair of Walk-Over wing tips from 1987. They were the best shoes I ever owned. If the original Walk-Over wing tip shoe ever came back, which will never happen with the same quality, I would buy five pairs.

I grew up in Bridgewater, MA where Walk-Over started. I actually just moved back here a year and a half ago. I grew up buying Walk-Over shoes for 2/$99. in the early 90s. At that point in time the quality was less than buying an Allen Edmonds shoes but much better than a foreign made shoe. It was a sad day when then shut down the shop down town. It doesn't look like HH Brown is offering any traditional dress shoes like they did back then... the models above aren't quite my style. I'm an Allen Edmonds customer now. What's interesting (and sad) is it seems the only Bridgewater/Brockton/Middleboro remaining shoes are made by Alden.